Virgil van Dijk: A £75 million bargain

Around this time last year, Southampton left Liverpool with egg on their face after the Merseysiders were forced into issuing a humiliating public apology over their pursuit of Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool walked away from the deal last summer and waited for Southampton to make him available to make their move.

Jurgen Klopp doesn’t do Plan B. If he has identified a player he wants to sign, it’s that player itself or nobody else. He is happy with his team but he doesn’t do alternatives.

He waited a year for Naby Keita and until Christmas last year for Virgil van Dijk. In the first 8 months as a Red, it can be argued that the Dutch skipper has already repaid his world record fee. Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville deem him one of the best in the world, he is definitely one of the best in the league and he is the best Liverpool have had since Sami Hypia in the early 2000s.

Leading by example van Dijk

Something that goes by unnoticed is Virgil van Dijk”s leadership in defence. Bear in mind he is the Dutch captain at 27 playing alongside a 21-year-old Joe Gomez, 19-year-old Trent Alexander Arnold and 24-year-old Andy Robertson in defence. That”s a Liverpool defence with an average age of 22.5!
At 3-0 up against West Ham on the opening weekend, a clip did the round of social media. Sadio Mane didn”t do enough to stop a cross from a deep position. Virgil van Dijk intercepted the cross, cleared it and then called Mane out saying, “Sadio, Sadio! Stop the f*****g cross!”. That is Van Dijk – the leader in the team even without an armband.
As Crystal Palace piled on the pressure in the second half, Virgil van Dijk sensed the danger and around the 64th minute mark is seen shouting out to his full-backs Robertson and Trent pulling them closer to him to narrow the gaps in defence. He senses danger, exudes a sense of calm and is simply a damn good footballer.

van Dijk Elite Defender

For those who have followed Liverpool, it”s not hard to see that van Dijk simply loves to defend. He doesn”t jump into tackles like Lovren or chase players around like Gomez, Virgil van Dijk simply gets close to his man and scares the living daylights out of him with his sheer presence. Benteke and Arnautovic would vouch for that.
On Monday night at Selhurst Park against the likes of Benteke, van Dijk put in his best performance in a red shirt. Winning everything in the air barring one header against the likes of Benteke and putting in a performance that showcased his qualities as one of the elite defenders in world football.

van Dijk A Dying Breed

At a time, when Jose Mourinho is crying out for defensive leaders; with van Dijk in the heart of the defence Liverpool have well and truly pipped their arch-rivals as the closest to stopping the Manchester City juggernaut.

Elite Defender

For those who have followed Liverpool, it”s not hard to see that van Dijk simply loves to defend. He doesn”t jump into tackles like Lovren or chase players around like Gomez, Virgil van Dijk simply gets close to his man and scares the living daylights out of him with his sheer presence. Benteke and Arnautovic would vouch for that.
On Monday night at Selhurst Park against the likes of Benteke, van Dijk put in his best performance in a red shirt. Winning everything in the air barring one header against the likes of Benteke and putting in a performance that showcased his qualities as one of the elite defenders in world football.

Leading by example

Something that goes by unnoticed is Virgil van Dijk”s leadership in defence. Bear in mind he is the Dutch captain at 27 playing alongside a 21-year-old Joe Gomez, 19-year-old Trent Alexander Arnold and 24-year-old Andy Robertson in defence. That”s a Liverpool defence with an average age of 22.5!
At 3-0 up against West Ham on the opening weekend, a clip did the round of social media. Sadio Mane didn”t do enough to stop a cross from a deep position. Virgil van Dijk intercepted the cross, cleared it and then called Mane out saying, “Sadio, Sadio! Stop the f*****g cross!”. That is Van Dijk – the leader in the team even without an armband.
As Crystal Palace piled on the pressure in the second half, Virgil van Dijk sensed the danger and around the 64th minute mark is seen shouting out to his full-backs Robertson and Trent pulling them closer to him to narrow the gaps in defence. He senses danger, exudes a sense of calm and is simply a damn good footballer.

A Dying Breed

At a time, when Jose Mourinho is crying out for defensive leaders; with van Dijk in the heart of the defence Liverpool have well and truly pipped their arch-rivals as the closest to stopping the Manchester City juggernaut.